


Invincible Summer

by Waldo



Category: Torchwood
Genre: Community: HorizonsSing, Ficlet, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-07-01
Updated: 2008-07-01
Packaged: 2017-10-05 01:01:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 792
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/36035
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Waldo/pseuds/Waldo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ianto isn't aware of how badly he needs a break.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Invincible Summer

**Author's Note:**

>   Written for [](http://www.livejournal.com/users/horizonsing/profile)[**horizonsing**](http://www.livejournal.com/users/horizonsing/)'s [Day One challenge](http://community.livejournal.com/horizonssing/1756.html#cutid1):  _"Summer afternoon - summer afternoon;  to me those have always been the two most  beautiful words in the English language." _ \- Henry James

Jack snuck up behind Ianto who looked like he was ready to either bang his head into his desk or find a way to put his hand through the speaker of his mobile and throttle the idiot on the other end.

Jack waited patiently until Ianto bit out, "Very well then.  I'll look forward to your return call."  He bit his lip as Ianto stabbed the disconnect button with far more force than was probably good for the phone or his hand and dropped the mobile on the keyboard in fronbt of him.  He was just about to announce himself when Ianto turned and caught him out of the corner of his eye … and nearly jumped out of his skin.

Jack put a steadying hand on Ianto's arm and mouthed 'sorry', before putting one finger over his lips and indicating the door with his head.

Ianto gave him a cross-eyed look, but stood, grabbing his jacket from the back of his chair.

Finger still over his lips, Jack waved away the jacket and Ianto carefully put it back over the chair before following Jack out the open cog door and into the lift.

When they were safely inside the closed box, Ianto finally lost it.  "Why are we sneaking around?  And should I be armed to face it?"

Jack leaned back as the lift continued its ascent.  "You don't need to be armed.  In fact, right now, I'm pretty sure giving you a gun would end very badly for whomever you were just on the phone with."

Ianto just raised his eyebrows and tried not to look like he hadn't already had that thought.

"Anyway, we're just sneaking out for half-an-hour or so."

"Again, I ask, why are we sneaking?"

"Because I wanted to take you out for an ice cream and I didn't want Owen inviting himself along which would then lead to Gwen turning it into a team event."  Jack pushed off the wall and into Ianto's space, pecking him on the nose just as the lift opened, dropping them in the tourist shop.

Jack held the door for Ianto as they stepped out into the bright sunlight.  It was mid-summer in Cardiff, but still pleasantly warm without being sticky, thanks to a nice breeze off the bay that afternoon. 

Jack wove his fingers through Ianto's and they held hands as they made their way to the ice cream parlor where they both ordered cones – Jack insisted that they put sprinkles on them both like the two of them were seven - and Jack paid.  They sat on the parlor's porch bench, Jack's arm around Ianto's shoulder as they ate their ice cream and watched some kids in the park across the street play football.

After a few minutes, Ianto leaned his head back against Jack's arm and closed his eyes.  Jack had been right; this was exactly the break he needed.  Just half an hour away from annoying sycophants at Whitehall, aliens bent on either eating them or taking over the world and that stupid tourist that morning who had just insisted that Blarney Castle had to be somewhere in Cardiff despite Ianto's many, many explanations that it was, in fact, still in Ireland where it had always been.

"Feel a little better?" Jack asked as he bent his arm just enough to reach up and scratch the back of Ianto's head in soothing strokes. 

Ianto made an incoherent noise of pleasure and leaned into Jack's hand as he finished his ice cream.

They sat quietly for a while watching the game across the street until two little girls came up and the older one counted the few coins in her pocket as they both looked at the menu sign fixed next to the door.

"We don't have enough for two, we'll have to share," she told her sister.

"Here," Jack said, holding out some money to the kids.  "Go get whatever you want."

Ianto giggled.  "You just gave a nine year old and a four year old twenty pounds to get ice cream."  Ianto knew Jack had change from having paid for theirs with a twenty pound note as well.

Jack just shrugged.  "So what?"

When the kids came out and gave Jack his change, Ianto was absolutely amazed.  When he'd been nine he would have absconded with the extra money, no question about it.  "You know, moments like these remind me exactly why we bust our arses saving this place.  A couple of sweet kids, a nice day… ice cream…  Sometimes it seems like it's not worth it, you know?  Then you get reminders like this."

Jack just kissed the top of Ianto's head and said nothing.  Ianto had gotten exactly the message he'd been trying to send.


End file.
